Kanin's Legend
by KMatre13
Summary: The story of a Hunter named Kanin and his team and the fight against the the enemies of mankind.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A few birds fluttered overhead. The drones and chirps of some of the insects filled the air. Nothing really lived in these forests but its indigenous residents. Nothing but a group of a Fallen House, and the ones who hunted them down.

There were three of us when we started our assignment, but near a day in, that changed when we needed to cross some cliffs. While crossing, a boulder gave way and Jacks went tumbling down the Cliffside. Crimson and I went down to check on him; he was alive, but his legs were beaten to hell and we both knew Jacks wouldn't be able to continue on. So we told his Ghost to transmat him out and take him back to the Tower.

Guess I should explain who we are while I have the chance and before we get too far. My name is Kanin, I am a Hunter and serve as a Guardian for the Traveler, the Last City, and the Tower. I am also the fireteam leader for our mission to track down and eliminate a group of Fallen hiding out somewhere in the forests and ruins of Old Europe.

Jacks is another Guardian, but a Titan. Normally Titans, Hunters, and Warlocks don't get along as best of buds, but Jacks and I have been through enough together to trust each other, and make jabs at each other.

And last, but most definitely not least (that honor is reserved for Jacks, broken legs not accounted for), is Crimson. While Crimson is not her real name, everyone calls her that because of the color of her cloak and armor. Even though she is not a Guardian, she is still very much capable of handling herself in a fight and mastering the Light and making it her own.

It's now been a couple days since we lost Jacks, but we were moving faster and quieter without his lumbering around. And now we were closing in on the Fallen. As we moved through the forest we kept our fingers on triggers and weapons at the ready in case we found some stragglers or scouts.

"I'm picking up some Fallen activity." Piped up Spartan, my Ghost.

"Any idea on distance?" Asked Crimson.

"Close to two klicks."

"Care to take in half a klick before setting up for the night?" I inquired of Crimson, realizing that the sun was already setting. And wondering around a forest in the dead of night alone is dangerous enough without the possibility of running into rouge Fallen.

"Let's make it a quarter; stay close, but give us some room for warning."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

We trekked for another half hour before finding a safe place to rest. By then the sun had set and we were in the dark of night. If stealth hadn't been a requirement for this mission, I would have killed a couple of elk for Crimson to grill up, because man can she cook over a campfire. But instead we only had food packets stocked up from the Tower. We took off our helmets and two things happened that completely refreshed me almost to the point of standing up and just finding the Fallen to finish the mission. First, the cool air rushed in and felt nice. It wasn't warm, but it wasn't cold either. It was… nice. But the second was seeing Crimson.

Her dark red hair fell down to just below her shoulders. She looked over with her deep sky blue eyes. What was she looking at? Just some schmuck with short cut, brown hair and a close trimmed beard.

As we finished our "dinner," we contacted the Tower one last time before shutting down all radio transmissions to stay under the radar. We set up some warning systems around our small camp and began to wind down.

"Not going to happen." Crimson said without looking over at me.

I looked away, "What do you mean?"

"You know damn well what I mean. We both need our sleep especially if we are going to be facing as many Fallen as we think we are."

"Come on Crims. We're on a mission right now, do you really think I'd ask about that now?"

"Please, I know you. You have that look that says you would ask. And now that Jacks isn't here, there's nothing to really stop you. Now let me take a shot at how the conversation would go.

"First you would plain out ask. I would say 'No,' you would then say, 'well we should at least huddle together to stay warm.' Am I getting it right so far?"

I paused. "Well, I have plenty of room on my rock, and we will most likely need to stay warm tonight, so you would be completely welcome to join me." I said with a smile.

Crimson walked over and kicked my thigh. "You're such a child sometimes, you know that right?" She said as she sat down. "How did the Traveler ever choose you as a Guardian?"

"I'm not even sure if the Traveler knows why at this point." I said as I checked The Last Word's ammo. I placed the hand cannon down by my side in easy reach in case we have any trouble, and my left arm around Crimson as we let sleep take us down.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Now long before today, to the humans of before, traveling across space, colonizing other worlds, and encountering extraterrestrial life was something only found in stories of fiction. But one day, they found something on Mars; something that they had no idea about. They soon sent a manned mission to Mars to investigate. What they found, was the Traveler.

Soon the Traveler made its way to Earth and thus began what was known as The Golden Age of Humanity. The Traveler gave the people of Earth technology and knowledge that was unheard of at the time. After a time, humanity decided to expand and stake a claim amongst the stars. With the Traveler's help, they colonized Venus, Mars, the Moon and much more.

However, humanity would soon learn that, like most everything else in the Universe, even the Traveler had enemies that sought to extinguish its Light. The Fallen, a scavenger race, were amongst the first enemies encountered, followed by the insect-like Hive, the war-driven Cabal, and the mechanical Vex. Before too long, humanity was losing its footing in the Universe and started falling back and losing everything to the Darkness. Towards the end, the only things that were left were on Earth, and even then they were losing ground there.

But one day, as humanity was on the brink of extinction, an event happened that would change the course of history forever. On that day, a child was born. A child with so bright a light, that it blinded even the Traveler. It is even said that the light from the child, drove away all the darkness from the system.

That is the story, I would tell if this were the time of romance from back during the romance of the Golden Age. But today, there is no way anyone would believe those stories.

My story began when I was born, much like everyone else's. I don't actually remember much of my parents; just that they were there, then they weren't anymore. But then again, there are plenty of orphans today. Although for as long as I can remember, my Ghost, Spartan, has been by my side. And it wasn't too long before the Vanguard and Tower took me in to train me.

As I trained, I learned how to use my light. Soon came the time for me to choose my own path. Warlock, Titan, or Hunter. Well, you kinda know which path I chose by now don't you.

When I came of age, I was able to start taking my first missions, Some I could do alone, while others I needed a team for.

That is how I met Jacks. We had been assigned to the same missions a couple of times, and over time we began to trust each other more and more.

Now if you asked for my personal opinion of second best, Titan or Warlock, I would have to choose Titan. First off, anyone who is willing to charge in guns blazing and attempt to draw enemy fire, is pretty ballsy. Second is that sometimes a Titan is the perfect complement my fighting style of striking quickly and while the enemy is recovering and trying to figure out how to deal with me, the heavy hitters sweep up anyone left and confusing the rest.

Overtime, as my experience grew, I was given more and tougher missions. I happily took Jacks along and we figured out ways to best fight alongside each other. But one mission would soon begin turning our Destructive Duo into a Terrifying Trio.

One day the Vanguard received an emergency transmission from an outpost under attack by Fallen. Since I was reporting back after a mission to my Vanguard mentor, I was the first to be sent out to help. Spartan received the coordinates as I sprinted towards the Hanger. The Vanguard sent ahead a message to Holliday, the Tower's head ship mechanic, to ready my ship for launch.

When I arrived on the scene, I felt like I had landed into a firing range. I brought up my auto rifle and began cutting my way through to where the survivors were holed up. As I made my way inside, I realized just how out manned we were. There were about eight or nine women and children hiding in a corner, away from the action. Only five people had weapons and trying their damnedest to keep the Fallen back. I slid up among them and added my rifle to theirs. As we fought I learned a couple of things. First, they were not trained fighters, anyone could tell you that. Second, the one showing the most command was definitely a young woman with red hair, dressed in a strangely crimson patterned clothes. And finally, with our ammo and the amount of Fallen out there, we were not going to last very long.

The battle lasted about fifteen minutes more before reinforcements arrived, but any of the four of us fighting that remained will swear till we die that it was an eternity. After we got the all clear from the Guardian reinforcements, we finally came out of our bunker and took stock of what we had left. I finally got a good head count of who had been in the bunker. There were thirteen alive on my arrival, two dead after the battle, one critically injured and taken away to receive treatment, and the rest had typical after battle damage and fatigue.

I finally sat down, next to the leader and whom I assumed was her younger sister. I took a sip of water and realized just what her crimson pattern was and why it was strange. It was blood. But she didn't look injured.

"May I ask, whose blood is that?" I asked.

The younger sister who had been trying to keep her composure, broke down crying. I looked around and realized just why. I turned back and saw the older sister hugging the younger.

"I'm sorry." I said solemnly.

I noticed Jacks wandering through the carnage towards us. So I stood up and walked over.

"So you survived, huh?" Said Jacks through whatever the exo equivalent of a smirk is.

"Was honestly thinking I was going to for a good portion of it." I replied quietly, looking back at the sisters, just thinking, _What if I had been faster?_

"So. Who's Crimson over there?" Asked Jacks, just a little too loudly.

The older sister looked over with fierce blue eyes. I saw that look and realized quickly that we might have another fight on our hands. I stepped in between the two of them, and with my rifle still in hand, clicked the safety to fire, hoping it would be loud enough. Jacks looked down then back up at me, then got the message and walked away.

"I am sorry about that. Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked as I knelt down in front of the sisters.

"No." Said the older sister. She had a look in her eyes that wasn't the same that Jacks got, but still I knew there was nothing left for me to do. So I got up and walked away. Praying to who-knows-what that those two would make it out safely.

A couple days later, I was turning in some bounties I had completed. I still couldn't get that woman out of my head. Even at night I had dreams where I was back in the bunker or out on the field. As I turned around I noticed someone leaning on a rail looking out over the city. It was her.

So I walked over and leaned on the just down from her. She knew I was there beside her.

"So, how are you two doing?" I asked after a few minutes.

"We've got a ways to go before we can be halfway to… well, we're probably never going to be like before now, are we?"

I waited a bit. "I was with the Vanguard when they got your signal. Even now, I can't stop thinking about how I could have been faster."

"Is that all you're going to be talking about with me?" She asked annoyed. "Always apologizing and trying to show sympathy to someone you just met? Even when you had no say what so ever in the events that happened before you even arrived? Do you even know my name?"

We both knew the answer to the last one. "Okay." I said "Ever since I became a Guardian, I have been on missions. I've killed enemies and seen the remains of battles gone by. But I've never seen what our battles looked like when they actually involved the people we swore to protect. So you, your sister, your group, you all were the first time I witnessed that kind of, impact."

I turned back to the city. "So I guess, with you being pretty much the only person I felt comfortable to talk to. I guess I just wanted to try and help in some way."

"Well, with the city in the state it is, there's not much help going around really. Even for us who were pushed out of the homes we loved."

I took a moment to think. "How about you let me buy you all dinner tonight?"

"It's not really an 'us' anymore. We all got separated when we entered the city, so it's really just my sister and I now. And besides, where we came from, you provide for yourself."

"Well," I started, "That may be the case, but you're where I am form now, and I feel it is my duty to help you out as best I can. So even if it is down to two, the offer is still there."

She waited a moment, "It's more than just where we are right now, and my sister is still not really ready to go out in any sort of crowd yet."

"No worries, I can pick something up and bring it over"

She looked out over the city, thinking it over. The sun was giving a sort of glow to her hair. "Alright," she said, "It's a deal."

"Good." I responded. "Oh, uh, also, my name is Kanin."

"Pleasure to meet you, Kanin." She said with a simple, but beautiful smile.

"You know, you never told me your name."

"You're right." She said pausing. She stood up from the rail, and almost like a new person said, "You can call me, Crimson."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _You patrol your territory. Some of the ground is covered in snow. You should be cold, but your dark gray coat and your experience with this weather keeps you warm. You stay low moving quickly, but quietly. You are the lord of this domain, nothing lives in it without your knowing. You know all the scents, the bigger four-legs, the smaller, the flutter-chirps, the plants, trees and rocks that you marked as your boundaries. The scent of someone else like you, your mind drifts as you stop and take what of the scent floats on the air and knowing what awaits you when you return._

 _A twig snaps. A stranger scent takes over. This scent, you've never smelled it before. You continue on with your investigation. This scent, it's unlike any other. It's strange. And you have a growing instinct the closer you get that it is not a good scent._

 _The scent is close now. You stop and lay down in wait for the source to come into view. You hear rustling of plants. There. A strange creature standing on two legs, but in the middle of its body are four more, all ending in strange claws clutching a long strange object. The scent from the object stings your nose a bit._

 _You knew it. This wasn't going to be a friendly meeting. Then again, not many of your meetings are friendly._

 _You lay still. Waiting for this new creature to venture closer. It looks around, maybe feeling, knowing, that it is not alone and being watched. But it moves closer still._

 _Now! You bolt and in one full stride, leap._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

My mind resurfaced. A couple of seconds later, my eyes opened up. I looked around, saw the cave we were camped in, saw gray light trickling in from the entrance, I glanced down beside me and saw Crimson asleep in my arms. I took in a deep breath. I smelled the forest, the cave and Crimson. If any scent gave me peace, it was Crimson's. I closed my eyes trying to concentrate on her scent.

My mind went back to the dream. I had that dream again. I never truly remembered it but I always remembered being almost at peace when I woke up.

I began to stand up, making sure not to wake or let Crimson slide onto the ground. I put The Last Word back into its holster on my thigh as I walked to the cave entrance.

"Hey, Spart. What's the weather looking like today?" I asked looking out into the forest and realizing why it seemed gray.

"Looks like it's going to be mostly like this all day, but we may need to watch out for pockets of rain." Said Spartan appearing by my side.

"Anything new from the Fallen?" Meaning, anything we need to worry about?

"No, but from what I've gathered, I think they may be stopped for a while. Could be to rest, or, they found whatever they were looking for."

"So we may have a chance to strike today?"

"Most likely, I would wish you _do_ contact the Vanguard before you develop any, unorthodox plans."

"Come on Spart. I'm crazy not suicidal." I said turning back to the cave.

"Well good morning there sleepy head." I said a few minutes later as I noticed Crimson waking up.

"Hey," she said groggily. "What's it looking like out there?"

"Well, the Fallen have set up shop, and Spart and I were just discussing a plan. You see, we're going to sneak in close, then when they're not paying attention. Wham! Go in guns a-blazing, and then blow the rest of them beyond hell with anything and everything explosive that we have and that they have." She gave me a look that says that she knows bullshit.

"The Fallen have stopped for the time being, and I've asked Kanin to contact the Vanguard before we truly began planning something." Spoke up Spartan.

"Come on, what was wrong with my plan?" I asked.

"Everything." The two of them said simultaneously.

We sat and ate our breakfast, we contacted the Tower to let them know what was going on, shut down communications to stay under the radar, cleaned up our site to leave no trace (just as we were taught as kids), and headed out.

We needed to truly be on our best to be walking practically head first into a relatively unknown enemy.

A couple days before the mission, the Tower had in its possession, a Fallen ship. Miraculously it still functioned properly, or at least what qualified as properly with the Fallen. So the Vanguard wanted to give it a test flight to find out more about this new equipment. And what a coincidence that Holliday wanted to test fly it around Old Europe a bit. And what an even bigger coincidence that the Guardian assigned to aid and protect Holliday, just so happened to be leaving on a mission in a few days' time into the same area.

And if that same Guardian remembered correctly, the Fallen were set up near or in the ruins of an ancient warehouse or factory or something.

Soon we began to enter what appeared to be some ruins of a small town, or a neighborhood. And now we had to be extra mindful of what may be hiding in the ruins. I stopped in the middle of the street, and turned to look around at the ruins. "What do you think it was like back then?" I asked.

"Who knows if you go by the stories, it was men and children that left in the morning to go to work or school while the women either stayed home to take care of the house or go to jobs of their own. But that's all we know about back then, right? Just stories passed down through time?" Crimson replied.

"Do you think they had to deal with any of the wildlife in regularity, or was it laid back and quiet?"

"Like I said, who knows?"

"Guess that's kinda why we're here isn't it? To get humanity back to what was, but better."

"Yeah, that may be right, but let's try and concentrate on right now." We began walking again.

"Would be nice though. Nice quiet surroundings, disturbed only by the shouts and laughter of children. Relaxing around the home, maybe playing with the kids, and maybe a dog." I said.

"You know, ever since you found that music from before the Traveler you _don't_ stop listening to, you seem like you think it was much better back then. But you don't realize, throughout history at some point, people begin to think that it was better before, rather than thinking about the future."

I stopped and turned to Crimson. "Then what better time than the present?"

Crimson looked at me in what I assumed was confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on, Crims. We both know we can't do this forever. It is only going to end with us leaving and walking away alive, or dead. And if that happens, I am _not_ going to stand beside Hana as they lower you into the ground. I'm not going to put her through that. So I say, we start planning now for what we're going to do afterwards." I knew Crimson didn't like to talk about it, let alone anything about starting a family, but I knew we were going to need to have this talk at some point.

"We're not having this conversation, Kanin." She said with a hint of anger wishing for me to drop the subject.

"I know, but we _need_ to talk about this Caira." I knew that using her name like that was likely to draw out even more anger, but I needed her to take the hint.

"We'll take about this when we get home." She said solemnly. She started walking and took the lead while I stood there.

"You know, you very well maybe suicidal, right?" said Spartan, appearing beside me before following Crimson.

 _Yeah, but sometimes you have to endure punishment before you get to pleasure._ I thought as I started to follow after.


End file.
